Ashley West was determined to marry the man she called her “everything.”

Her boyfriend, Corey Kowall, was over in Afghanistan with the Army. They’d have to get through that first and make sure he safely returned home.

“He was the most amazing person I ever met,” West said. “He had a great sense of humor and always treated people the way they wanted to be treated. He was the best boyfriend, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.”

She wouldn’t get that chance. Kowall, 20, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., was killed Sept. 20 in a vehicle rollover in Zabul province. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.

West was gearing up to move in with him on the base, and she hoped to attend North Carolina State University about an hour away. She was just waiting for him to come home in March.

Kowall’s father, C.J., said his son was his personal hero.

“When I didn’t think I could make it, he was my inspiration and made me laugh,” C.J. Kowall said.

Many friends and family said they were happy Kowall lived his dream of serving his country.

“At a young age, he understood what it was to be an American,” said his mother, Kelly Rae Speight.

In addition to his parents and girlfriend, Kowall is survived by two sisters.